Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences

Wayne State University
Detroit, MI

BASIC RESEARCH PROJECT

Targeting Lipids as a Treatment for RPE Degeneration

Research Interests

The dysfunction of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) is a major event underlying the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in aging populations. Although the RPE has many important functions in the maintenance of retinal homeostasis, it has a unique function in regulating ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations in the outer retina. Risk for AMD can be conferred by ω 3 and ω-6 PUFAs, but it is unclear how these fatty acids contribute to this retinal disease.

Plans for 2026

The purpose of the project is to test novel lipid-targeting therapeutic strategies for the treatment of RPE degeneration, a pathology known to occur in AMD-afflicted retinas. Since AMD is known to be influenced by the dysregulation of lipid metabolism, these therapeutic strategies could be feasible options for the treatment of AMD, which would warrant further investigation in other models of AMD and eventually in clinical studies.

Dr. Landowski will investigate therapies targeting these fatty acids in a mouse model of RPE degeneration, a pathological hallmark of AMD-afflicted retinas, that coincides with an accumulation of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs. Successful completion of this project will provide valuable insight into the role of PUFAs in RPE degeneration, which can be followed-up in future studies utilizing other animal models of AMD and potentially translated to clinical relevance for AMD.